There are many connections that can be made for muck fires and Tangerine. The most obvious is that there was a muck fire in Lake Windsor Downs. This made Paul's mom afraid that their house was burning and later it was just annoying. It is very unlikely, although, that a muck fire would keep burning forever. Another connection is that you have to let a muck fire burn out. This relates to Erik. He was on a downward spiral and getting worse all the time. His parents and family couldn't do anything until the end. Soon, Erik burned out. his family realised his wrongdoing and he was set straight by the law. Erik, like a muck fire, was a ticking time bomb and ready to go out.